North Mountain Visitor Center

A must-visit, beautiful mountain in the heart of Phoenix with various intensity trails. Always spot lots of wildlife and the trails are busy with hiker and biker activity at various times in the morning. The paved trail up to the main tower is a great high-intensity trail for training. The visitor center side has plenty of parking and the center hosts many activities as well as a lovely information and display area where you can find books on identifying birds and garden insects, gardening in AZ, and many other AZ-themed resources. The picnic and observation deck outside the center is a fabulous space for outdoor yoga, tai chi, etc. Definitely got to check out this leading hiking site in Phoenix.

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Lots of trails to pick from. They do have water for you to purchase should you need. Some. Bathrooms are also available.

The center offers free advice and maps for the numerous trails in the North Mountin Preserve. The Center also has numerous books, clothing, water and and trinkets for sale. Classrooms in the Center can be booked at a cost.

Great hiking. Few people. All doable trails. Well maintained trails. Great visitor center.

This is a great place for my kids to learn about the Arizona desert. You could spend all day exploring the trails if you wanted to, but we usually explore for less than an hour in the morning to get my kids used to hiking. The beginning of the trail is perfect for my young ones to experience hiking on flat, easy terrain. Then after we finish our hike, we head over to the visitor center to cool off. It is a beautiful space with a lot of interesting things to look at. We enjoy the children's room where they have lots of books, and educational toys, although they are outdated. The staff is very friendly as well, and they offer a reading program where kids can earn prizes for books they read.

Interesting and informative place to get acquainted with the park. It is somewhat frustrating that the trail marker.posts are missing trailmarkers but it's pretty easy to navigate nonetheless

I like this small museum, exhibit center that tells about how the citizens of Phoenix worked to save the natural desert from development back in the 1970s and continuing through today. It is truly a fabulous find in the middle of Phoenix! I highly recommend taking an hour to look at all the photos of wildlife found in the desert, in the middle of a big city! A lovely Gift Shop, too! Terrific volunteers who can tell you about the hiking trails the area and more.